


Winterborn

by berrybliss



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: AoKuro Week 2018, M/M, Wind God!Aomine, feat. Kuroko's dad, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 00:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14630124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrybliss/pseuds/berrybliss
Summary: Kuroko Tetsuya was once sent up to the shrine of the Spirit of the North to tame his storms on behalf of his father’s people. He has never failed to come visit him again since.The day has finally come for Aomine Daiki to get him to stay for good. But there are questions that need to be asked, and formalities that need to be done.





	Winterborn

**Author's Note:**

> The first lines pretty much betray why this story exists in the first place xDD  
> Happy AoKuro week! <3 I wrote this way back in April, but it underwent a few edits. I can’t say I’m very happy with it, but I really miss AoKuro and I’ve been having so much feels for it in the past few days.  
> Enjoy!

They call him many things - _Spirit of the North_ , _Anemoi, Deity of the North Wind, Stormcaster, Winterborn._ There’s a considerable ruckus when he graces Seirin village with his presence, particularly because he’s rarely sighted outside his domain in the mountains. They swiftly clear the path for him, scattering like flies.

He approaches one of the villagers.

“Is the village chief present?”

The said villager, short compared to him, struggles to look up and meet his eyes. He does so in what could pass as dignified enough. “Yes, Aomine-sama. He is in the village hall. Shall I escort you there?”

But Aomine holds up a hand to stop him. “I know the way.”

He walks forward, not looking back. With what he’s wearing – heavy furs that cover the carvings on his skin opposed to the usual tunic he wears inside his personal home - he can actually pass as one of the villagers. That’s exactly his intention, as he makes his way to the village hall, an establishment that’s far bigger than all the other settlements and thus, stands out. When he arrives at its entrance, the guards at the door fail to hide their surprise.

“Sorry for coming unannounced, but I came to see your village chief.”

It’s the one on the left who speaks, clearly older than the one beside him. “Of course, Aomine-sama.”

He leads him in through the door, where he has to duck slightly so that his forehead does not bump against the frame. He lifts his hand to push away the decorations dangling down, a curtain made of red and brown beads. The guard doesn’t leave immediately, waiting for the deciding word of the man who is sitting on one of the mats, attention now fully on the god who has just entered.

“It’s an honour to have you here, Aomine-sama.” Aomine nearly bristles at how everyone is so insistent on calling him ‘-sama’, but he knows it’s out of formality. Kuroko Takumi eyes the guard who came in with him. “Thank you, Hiroto. Leave us.”

Hiroto bows and excuses himself, leaving the two of them alone.            

Kuroko Takumi smiles wryly. “Well, if it isn’t the slave-driver.”

Aomine raises an eyebrow. “That’s not very nice.”

“You haven’t stepped foot in here for a long time. Not since my wife died.” Takumi eyes him curiously. “If it’s Tetsuya you’re looking for, he already left moments ago to see you.”

“He won’t come to an empty cave if we make this quick, then. I’ll get straight to the point, Takumi-san.”

Aomine abides by tradition and gets on all fours, in the most formal bowing position as his head makes contact with the floor.

“I wish to formally ask for your son’s hand. Please give us your blessing.”

* * *

 

While it’s true that Aomine always clears the path for him, stopping whatever winds may throw him off his feet, there’s something missing as Kuroko makes the climb. Unmistakably, the spirit that trails his every move is there, but it’s so oddly silent and he feels alone.

He shakes the feeling away, dismissing it as nothing - and continues to make his way up the stairs leading to the shrine of the wind god that watches over their corner of the world. There’s something that makes him used to the sheer stamina needed to traverse the distance, possibly the frequency with which he has become accustomed to visiting the wind god’s home.

A half of each day of the week, always to return when the sun sets in the horizon, and the goddess of night spreads her embrace over all of them.   

The fur of Kuroko’s coat allows him to mask the fond smile that shatters the stoic mask of his features. There’s nothing but that feeling – fondness – when he does recall the events that have led up to this day. It only seems like yesterday that he had been sent up the mountain to coax the wind god into halting his storms, storms that had grown increasingly erratic and turbulent as time passed by.     

_“If there is anyone who can get the Spirit of the North to listen, it is you.”_

He had scarcely believed those words back then. Now, it is not quite as far-fetched as it used to be, because since then, he has had several lengthy talks with Aomine. Between them, words have become intimacies, intimacies into irreplaceable trust.  

When he reaches the top, he waits where he usually does. Nothing comes out from the cave – no one. Kuroko decides to walk in to check for himself, and indeed, there’s no wind god to be found.

“Aomine-kun…?”

As expected, there’s no response. Kuroko takes a seat on one of the elevated rocks, and finds himself looking around the haven Aomine has built for himself. He’s had plenty to look before, but never alone. When with Aomine, his focus is always somewhat taken. Preoccupied.

There are maps on the wall of the continents, of how they’ve changed over time. A compass, as if to remind Aomine of his place as the northern deity, his brothers in other corners of the world. It’s cold up north, Kuroko thinks. Now that Aomine’s not here, it’s even colder than he imagined.

His eyes trail towards a battle spear attached to the wall, a shield beside it. They’re not Aomine’s true weapons, but are there for the sake of display.

 _You have until sunset_ , he chides to no one in particular. Kuroko doesn’t dare close his eyes, but there are many memories he has of Aomine, that seem to seep through the corners of the walls, bleeding into his periphery. 

* * *

 

_The arrow misses the target again, this time by less of a distance. While it’s significant improvement, it doesn’t say much about Kuroko’s skills. The winter bites into his rosy cheeks, as he winces at the missed shot. He has emptied three quivers by now._

_His father watches with a guarding eye, but it’s the look of a bird that cannot let the hatchling out of its nest. There’s silent expectation in those eyes, no mistaking it._

_“You don’t have to watch me, father.” He says, “I won’t abandon practice.”_

_“There is someone else watching.” Takumi walks toward him and places an arrow in his palm. It’s way bigger than his tiny hand, and so is the bow that he can barely lift properly.”Try shooting again.”_

_Kuroko has no intention of disobeying his father, who always does things for a reason. He positions the arrow and pulls at the bowstring, aiming once again for the target._

_He tries to steady his fingers, but it simply doesn’t work. He can feel them sweat, even in the cold, moist and slippery. With a murmured good luck chant, he releases while refraining from closing his eyes, fully intending to watch the arrow miss again._

_Only it doesn’t. Instead, the arrow seems to swerve and land miraculously on the bull’s eye. Kuroko lets out a small gasp, wide-eyed as he recalls what happened moments before._

_“He will always protect you and come to your aid.” Takumi says, and Kuroko starts to understand what it means to be protected and blessed by the god of the wind, like his mother wished he would be all those years ago. “Someday, we will find a way to return the favor. Until then, we pay our respects.”_

* * *

It’s strange that Aomine should disappear without telling him. It must have been urgent, some sort of godly business that had him rushing away without a moment’s notice. 

Just when Kuroko stands up, he hears the wind stir.

Confirming his suspicions, he sees a figure at the top of the steps, directly in front of the shrine. It’s Aomine, but that’s a ridiculous thought, because why would Aomine think of climbing the stairs when he could simply soar without breaking a sweat?

He rushes out to meet him anyways.

“Gods be damned, Tetsu,” Aomine breathes – he’s not panting, but the tone of his voice says that he’s impressed – at what, Kuroko doesn’t know, “Stairs are horrible.”

“Where were you?”

Aomine flashes him the biggest grin he’s seen on him for a while, as he holds something up to the sun.

It’s a ring.

“But I’ll climb them again if it’s for you.”

It’s a moment of realization that occurs, because he and Kuroko have been talking about this for a while. Kuroko just didn’t think that Aomine had disappeared because of _this._

Kuroko laughs, then. It’s an airy sound that gets carried by the wind, but it lifts Aomine higher than he’s ever been before.

Aomine tries to mask the red that’s creeping into his cheeks. “Oi, Tetsu, if you laugh, I seriously wouldn’t know what to do.”

Kuroko takes the ring with a fond smile, before taking Aomine’s hands into his. He looks up to meet his eyes, and tiptoes to seal their lips together. Aomine leans down and craves their warmth, then, and there’s a certain hunger to when he realizes that it’s cold without Kuroko, that the air they share is a lifeline and that it won’t ever be the same without him. Immortal longings are rekindled, and to know that they are reciprocated, that  _he won't be quite as alone as before -_ Aomine learns once more what happiness feels like.       

When they break away, Kuroko’s lashes dip. He hasn’t let go of Aomine’s hands.                   

“I’ll be happy to marry you, Aomine-kun.”

Aomine feels relief overwhelm him, feels that there’s less of a burden on his shoulders as they both laugh and he visibly unwinds, pulling Kuroko into an embrace.

“You’re the first, you know.” He whispers, “Because gods aren’t exactly known for being faithful, so I figured… yeah.” 

Kuroko buries his face into Aomine’s chest. When he says the words, he means them. The North Wind has always been associated with coldness, but it’s warm there, in Aomine’s arms.    

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. Kuroko's dad's requirement for the blessing was for Aomine to manually climb the stairs and do what Kuroko does every day to see him, lmaooooo  
> The strain feels exactly like how it would for a human. The only difference is that gods have much more stamina, of course. :D   
> Get yourself a wind god that will climb the stairs for youuuuuuuuuuuu yooooooooooooo  
> Hopefully I get enough drive to write the second chapter of this (which is ofc, the wedding), but for now, it’s a complete read :) Thank you for reading!!  
> Bless AoKuro.


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